Grass-burning machine.



No. 896,774. PATENTED AUG. 25, -1908.

J. R. TOT-MAN. y `GRASS BURN-ING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.'11, 1908.

-;',UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

l.TEIEtEMY -RUSSELL TOTMAX, OF COLUSA, CALIFORNIA.

GRASS-BURNIN G MACHINE.

Specification of vLetters Patnt Patented Aug. 25, 1908.

Application mea reimary 11, 190s. serial No. 415,326.

vproducing an intensely hot. llame at themouth of said cylinders; and the objects of my improvement are, first, to afford facilities for rapidly burning grass-between the rails the said shaft at L, Fig. 2.

' and along the sides of railroads;'seeond, to -providefoi directing the flame onto the points where it will do the greatest service;y

third, to provide for raising the mechanism when' not in'use so as to allow of'rapid transit,

.and.also, when'in use, to avoid obstacles;

and, fourth, to usel as many burners at one -time as may be'desired I attain these objects bythe mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- 'Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the' machine'ivith the fire shields H, and Z, Fig..

2, removed; Fig. 2, a side elevation; and Fig. 3, a. sectional view of a single cylinder and bur'ner on the'dotted line 1 2, right hand cylinder andburner, Fig. 1.v

Similar let-ters refer to siinilai' parts throughout the several views. y

The pipes I I, which are 'attached to the. ear G, underneath, constitute the supports of the outer end ofi the frame D D, and the frame D D, forms the support for the frames E E, F F, and G G, which', with' vthe crossbars f f ete., are the. supports of the cylinders A A etc;, and the burners B B. etc.

The standards J J ,are secured to the' pipes I I, and rise high enough above them to receive the. horizontal shaft- IY, which `lays along the top of the .car C, into boxing at L 7i. Fig. 2. The horizontal shaft Il', extends back over the car C, to a point b, where it is provided with a bevel gear 'which fits into 'another bevel gear' on the upright shaft P. fhen the upright shaft P, is turned by means of the. wheel Q, it causes the horizontal shaft IY, to turn and wind the chain M, at L, on its outer end. The chain .\l, being at- ;)ached to 'the frame l) D, by means of the ail K, when said chain )L is wound about it raisesthe frame D D, which is hinged on the ear C, at

s s, and which in turn raises the frames E E,

F F, and G G, thu's raising the whole front end of the machine.A

i The frames E E, F F, and G G, .are 1'0- vided with hinges at u u' etc., so that tiese frames may be ti pcd forward/thus changing the angle of Vtlie cylinders A A etc., and

directing the 'la'ine onto the ground more.

nearly vertical. The. frames E E, and G G, have hinges at x rv, Fig. 1, and standards I.' U, fastened to said frames at the outer ends of lower cross-bars f Small wire cables T T, Figs. 1 and 2, run from the top .of standards U U, through the pulleys l l, and on to the levers R R, which. are held iii`any desired 'lol position by release levers thatifit into the notchesof the semi-circle d d. By moving the levers R R, forward Ythe frames E E, and G G, are allowed t-o drop down on the outer ei'lge, thus lowering the outer tubes A A, onto the sides-offt-lie roadbed and bringing the flame into closer contact with the grass growing thereon. y

The shield H,(a piece of sheet iron extending the entire width of all the burners). vprotectsthe operator from the heat; and the shield Z, while also protecting the operator, confines the flame more directly to the ground. The shield Z, also extends the entire width of the burners and is fastened to the frame F F, by means of the iron bar, X, at oiiitsff, Fig. 1.

he steam pipe S, conducts the steam from the boiler of the locomotive or other boiler. This steam pipe (seeldot-ted lilies m, Fig. 2), is laid underneath the floor of the car C, until near the end of said car/when it is raised aboutla foot above the flor and -connected with the -pipe 5'/ g, which extends the full width of the said/car and is held u by the standards rr, attached to the frame D, and plugged at its outer ends (l a.. Steam is admitted tothe burners B B etc., through the pipes n n etc., the flow 4thereof heilig cont-rolledby means of the cocks i i etc.

The oil pipe O, conducts the oil from the oil tank and distributes itto the burners B B ete., through the rubber tubes e c etc., the low of oil being controlled by means of the cocks ete-. f

The cylinders A A etc., and the burners- B B etc., (see Fig. 3.), are fastened vto llat )ieces of steel X, Fig. 3., at Y, t, and lc'. At the bolt extends through the plate f, Figs. 1 and 2, thus providing a pivot on which said cylinders and burners may be turned sidewise and give more range to the flame.

The damper c, Figs, 2 and'S, is fastened by a friction clamp to the oil pipe of the burners B B etc.,so that it may be moved back from an orifice in the back end of the cylinders A? Aletc., and admit the required amount of air.

The steam pipes n n etc.are jointed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, at several places, so

that, when the front end of the machine is raised or lowered, these joint-s will allow frees dom of motion.

, for birning crude oil or for yuse in burning.

grass along railroads.

I elaim: 1. A grassi-burning machine, in which crude oil is used for fuel, consisting of aframe, one end of which is hinged on top of a car; said frame being wider than said car on which it is hinged, and the sides of said frame extending downward ast the end of said car on an incline towart the track by which said s car is supported the lower end of said frame being held in place by means of achain attached thereto', the upper end of said chain -gbeing fastened to a horizontal shaft extending over the'top of the said car and into boxing just above where said chain is fastened to said frame; the aforesaid'boxing being held in place by standards which are supported by f horizontal Ipipes whiclrare fastened under- -nea'th the top of said c and which extend therefrom to a position over where said chain is fastened to said frame; 'the winding or unwinding of said chain about said horizontal shaft being the means whereby the lower end ofsaid frame is raised or lowered, all substantially as set forth.

2. A grassburning machine, in which crude-oil is used for fuel, consisting of a frame wider than a ycar on which itis hinged, the

sides of said frame extending downward on4 an incline past the'end of said c ar, toward the track by which said car is supported; the lower end of said frame being held in place by a chain fastened thereto and also to a horizontal shaft above; a second frame in three sections superimposed on said first mentioned frame, extending downward below the lower end thereof, and hinged thereto so that all three sections thereof may be tipped forward over the lower end of said first mentioned frame, and so that the two outer sections thereof may be tipped outward as well es forward, allsubstantially as described and for the purposes mentioned.

3. A grass -burning machine, in which crude oil is used for fuel, consisting of a frame wider than a car on the top of which it is hinged; the sides of saidfraine extending on an incline, downward past the end of said car toward the track by which said ear is supported; the lower end ofsaid frame being held in 'place by ineansof a chain fast-cned thereto and also to a shaft above; a second frame in three sections superimposed on said first mentioned frame andl hinged thereto so that all three sections thereof may be tipped f forward and downward over the lower end of said first mentioned frame, and so-that-the two side sections thereof may be tipped outward as well as forward; iron orsteel crossbars crossing independently the three seetioiis Aof said second mentioned frame; a series of small tubes, preferably thirty to forty inches long, surmounted on the iron or steel cross-bars ofsaid second mentioned or upper frame, the said tubes 'extending downwardly in the same general direction as the slant of said frame to a point 'ust below the lower end thereof; said tubes eing of small diameter, preferably from six to eight inches in diameter, and cylindrical in shape., being of the same diameter throughout, and having their lower ends open-and of the same size 'and shape as the tubes or cylinders; saidtubes or cylinders being provided at their upper or inlet endsvwith crude oil burners fastened t iron orsteel plates to which said 'cylinders or tubes are also fastened; said crude oil burners being so arranged as to discharge a vol- ,unie of Haine inte"said cylinders or tubes, which are desi ed to control and direct said flame` and emit it from the lower or outlet end thereof onto the desired point;` said lower or outl s of .said cylinders or-tubes being entirely apen and of the same size and-shape as a cross section `of said cylinders' or tubes, t

substantially as described.

4. A ass -burning machine, in which crude oil is used for fuel, compris' g a frame hinged" to the topy of acar; said frame being wider than said car and the sides thereof extending on an incline downwardly toward the track upon which said cai' is supported, and passing beyondtheyend of said car; the lower end of said frame-being held in place by a chain attached thereto and also to a horiy zvontal shaft above; a second frame in three 'sections superimposed on said first' mentioned frame and hinged thereto so that all three sections thereof may be'tipped forward. and downward over the lower end of said first mentioned frame, and-so that thetwo outeror'side sections thereof may be. tipped outward as well as forward and downward; two sets of iron or steel cross-bars extending, the one near the top and the other near the bottom, laterally across said upper or second nentioned frame and attached to each of the.

lireesections thereofindependently, the said sets of cross-bars acting as supports for tl'ie aforesaid series of tubes or cylinders a series of cylinders, each cylinder fastened independently to an iron or steel plate; a 'series oferudc oil burners, one fastened to the u p per end of each oic `the aforesaid plates to which :i tuloe' or cylinder is fastened, and so arranged as to discharge a Volume of flame into tlie upper or vinlet end of said tube or cylinder; the upper ends of said plates to 'ivliicli said tubes or cylinders and burners are fastened being free to slide laterally on said upper cross-bar, the lowerend thereof being fastened by a bolt to the lower cross-bar7 said bolt acting as a ivot on Which said plates may be swung sidewise, thus throwing the direction of said tubes or cylinders to the one side or the other; a damper fastened by a friction clamp to the oil pipe of said burners, so arranged near the upper or inlet end of said tubes or cylinders as to allow the required aniount of air thereto; a iire shield consisting of a single piece of sheet iron ex tending horizontally the entire'wid'th of all the cylinders just above the outlet end there of and fastened to plates extending horizontally forward from the middle section of the aforesaid second mentioned or upper frame; a second fire shield comprising a single piece of sheetv iron, vertical but bent slightly forward at the top, extending the entire Width of all the cylinders and fastened just above the middle part of the-tubes or cylinders; a steam pipe conducting steam fromtlie locomotive or other boiler and distributing it through individually controlled pipes to each of said crude oil burners; an oil pipef-eonducting crude oil from a tank or oil ear and distributing said crude oil throu li individually'eontrolled oil hose to each o said crude` oil burners; Wire cables extending from standards attached to each of the two outer sectionsof the aforesaid upper or second mentioned -frame and l assing through pulleyson to levers wliici are located on the ear, all substantially as described and for the purposes mentioned.

J. RUSSELL 'ToTMAN Witnesses:

BURR` H. MITCHELL. F. M. EVANS. 

